Episode 2: The Beginning of Heroes
Arc: Rize Academy
Ten Years Later
February 12th, NE 567
The capital of the Pendragon Kingdom was known as Night Moon, a city built beneath enormous black mountains where dragons crossed the sky like living shadows.
Crimson banners hung from towers of dark stone. Magical lanterns floated above crowded streets, while merchants from distant kingdoms sold weapons, potions, enchanted clothing, and food from across Eolorial.
Night Moon was peaceful.
At least, it looked peaceful.
Two figures moved through the crowd wearing hooded cloaks meant to hide their identities.
One of them was not doing a very good job.
"Yin, are you sure we're supposed to be out here?"
Durandal Pendragon pulled her hood farther over her crimson hair, though hiding hair that nearly reached the bottom of her back was proving difficult.
At fifteen years old, she already carried herself with the discipline of a royal knight. Her pointed ears, golden-red eyes, and sharp features made it obvious that she belonged to the dragon race.
Even beneath her cloak, she stood out.
Beside her walked Yin Pendragon.
He stood only five feet tall, making him significantly shorter than his twin sister. His long red hair reached the backs of his knees, though several black strands ran through it like cracks burned into a flame. His bangs covered his left eye, while the rest of his delicate face made it easy for strangers to mistake him for a girl.
Yin looked up at Durandal with a bright smile.
"We have to start exploring eventually if we want to go anywhere."
"We live in the royal castle."
"That is not exploring."
"It has hundreds of rooms."
"I've already explored those."
"You were banned from three of them."
"Those doors were clearly hiding something."
"They were storage rooms."
"One of them had a cursed spear."
"You touched it."
"It looked lonely."
Durandal sighed and carefully watched the people around them.
Neither twin had told their parents they were leaving the castle.
It was not the smartest decision for members of the royal family, especially with the political tension growing between several kingdoms.
Durandal knew that.
Yin also knew that.
The difference was that Yin considered danger a reason to continue.
Durandal considered it a reason to return home before their mother discovered them missing and shook the capital with her aura.
"I think we should go back," Durandal said.
Yin stopped walking.
Although disappointment briefly crossed his face, he did not argue.
"Okay."
Durandal looked at him.
"That easily?"
"You're uncomfortable."
"I didn't say I was scared."
"I didn't say you were."
His answer caught her off guard.
Yin placed his hands behind his head and turned toward the castle.
"We can come back another day."
He wanted to continue exploring. Durandal could see it in the way he glanced toward the distant marketplace and the enormous gates leading beyond the capital.
But he did not want to place her in danger simply because he was curious.
That was Yin.
Reckless with himself.
Careful with everyone else.
Durandal followed him.
After several steps, Yin suddenly stopped.
His face went blank.
Durandal nearly walked into him.
"What is it?"
Yin slowly turned toward her.
"I forgot something."
Durandal narrowed her eyes.
"What did you forget?"
"I was supposed to train with Amani."
"When?"
Yin looked toward the position of the sun.
Durandal followed his gaze.
Then she looked back at him.
"Yin."
"I can explain."
"How late are you?"
"Not very."
"How late?"
"Enough that she might use me for a psychological experiment."
Durandal pinched the bridge of her nose.
"Go."
Yin began running.
"Tell Mother I love her!"
"You can tell her yourself!"
"Tell Father he still owes me money!"
"He does not!"
"That's what he wants you to think!"
Yin disappeared into the crowd.
Durandal stood alone for several seconds.
Then she sighed.
"He is going to die before reaching the academy."
Pendragon Royal Training Grounds
Amani Roya waited near the center of the training field.
Her foot tapped against the ground repeatedly.
She had grown considerably during the past ten years, now standing several inches taller than Yin. Her long brown hair fell past her elbows, framing the red flower resting near the side of her head.
She wore a light jacket over her clothes, a red skirt that reached her knees, and black tights covering her legs.
At first glance, she resembled an ordinary human girl.
A closer look revealed the cross-shaped pupils within her red eyes, a physical mark of her Nykr heritage.
At that moment, those strange eyes were narrowed with visible annoyance.
Yin had asked her to meet him for one final spar before they left for Rize Academy.
He had also selected the time.
And he was late.
Again.
Amani crossed her arms.
What is taking him so long?
The academy had occupied her thoughts for weeks.
Rize Academy was one of the greatest magical institutions in Eolorial. Nobles, warriors, prodigies, royals, and members of rare species traveled from every region of the world to attend.
For someone like Amani, it offered endless opportunities.
New magical theories.
Powerful students.
Ancient knowledge.
Political connections.
And, unfortunately, studying.
She hated studying.
Learning was acceptable.
Studying was simply learning forced to walk in circles until it became irritating.
Her thoughts returned to Yin.
Is he actually going to be okay there?
Rize Academy judged students through magical performance, combat ability, academic knowledge, and natural talent.
Yin had three of those.
Unfortunately, many teachers would only care about the one he lacked.
Magic.
Amani knew what happened when institutions saw something they did not understand. They either feared it, dismissed it, or tried to control it.
Yin could not hide his lack of magical energy forever.
Amani tapped her foot faster.
Stop thinking about him.
She had her own problems.
Her parents did not even know she intended to attend Rize Academy.
They would probably tell her to wait until the "proper moment," as though life politely announced when it was ready to begin.
Amani hated that answer.
The training ground's gates opened.
Yin walked through them with an overly cheerful smile.
He wore a long-sleeved white tunic with a high collar, black knee-length pants, gloves, and dark boots. Two wooden katana scabbards rested across his back.
Amani stared at him.
Yin's smile weakened.
Crap.
He scratched the back of his head.
"Sorry I'm late, Amani. I didn't mean to make you wait this long."
Ten years had passed since they first met in the royal library.
During that time, Amani had become Yin's closest friend, training partner, emotional interpreter, and the person most frequently responsible for stopping him from making terrible decisions.
She had never cared what nobles thought of their friendship.
Neither had Yin.
Amani reached for the wooden scythe beside her.
Yin stared at the weapon.
His confidence immediately packed its bags and fled.
"I'm sorry," he repeated. "I really am."
Amani lifted the scythe onto her shoulder.
"You asked me to meet you here."
"I know."
"You chose the time."
"I know."
"And you were still late."
"You're acting like I'm always late."
Amani said nothing.
Yin looked away.
"That silence feels judgmental."
"It is."
Yin glanced around the training field, searching for an escape route.
The gate behind him had already closed.
Yep. She's going to kill me.
Amani moved the scythe into both hands.
"What were you doing?"
"I was exploring the city with Durandal."
"You went sightseeing before the meeting you arranged?"
"When you say it like that, it sounds irresponsible."
"It was irresponsible."
"That's your interpretation."
"It is the only interpretation supported by reality."
Yin reached behind himself and drew one of the wooden katanas.
"Can we start already?"
"Gladly."
Yin bent his knees.
The ground cracked beneath his feet.
He launched himself into the air using nothing but the strength of his legs.
Amani dashed forward.
Her longer reach gave her an immediate advantage, so she positioned the curved blade of her scythe beneath Yin's landing path.
"How are you going to survive at Silverstaff Institute if you can't even arrive on time for something this important?!"
Yin raised the wooden katana over his head.
"I thought it was obvious!"
"What was obvious?"
"I'm going to perform a diving attack!"
"That was not my question!"
Yin inhaled.
Heat gathered in his chest before he exhaled a stream of dragonfire across the wooden blade.
The flames wrapped around the katana without immediately destroying it.
Amani's eyes widened slightly.
Yin grinned.
He had spent years watching adventurers enhance their weapons through magic.
He possessed no mana of his own, but dragonfire came from his body rather than conventional spellcasting.
So Yin created something different.
A sword style that transformed the natural abilities of his dragon body into techniques capable of imitating magical enchantments.
Flame Dragon Art: Inferno King Slash!
Yin descended and delivered a heavy vertical strike.
The flaming katana collided with Amani's wooden scythe.
Fire exploded across the training ground.
The earth beneath them cracked.
Amani slid backward, her boots carving trails through the dirt.
Flames spread across the head of her weapon.
She stared at them.
"Fire against wooden weapons?"
Yin landed with a proud smile.
"Creative, right?"
"That doesn't seem fair."
"Life isn't fair."
"You said that after setting my weapon on fire."
Amani raised her free hand.
Water gathered above her fingertips and poured across the scythe, extinguishing the flames before they could spread.
She lowered herself into a combat stance.
"I'm going to use everything I have, Yin."
Yin tightened his grip around the katana.
"Good."
Amani rushed forward.
This time, she wielded the scythe in one hand while gathering mana around the other.
Physical Element: Friction Destruction.
An invisible field expanded across the training ground.
Within a ten-meter radius, the amount of friction was cut in half.
Yin's boots slipped.
His grip loosened slightly around the sword.
The dirt beneath him felt almost like ice.
Yin looked down.
Amani continued advancing.
"Still confident?"
Yin smiled.
"Of course."
His body pulsed from the strain of his previous technique.
Heat spread through his arms and chest.
The muscles around his lungs tightened.
Don't tell me I still haven't perfected it.
He ignored the discomfort and adjusted his footing.
"Nice try, but this battle was decided the moment you used that move!"
Amani raised an eyebrow.
"How?"
Yin increased his internal body temperature.
Flames erupted around him until his small figure became almost completely hidden within them.
"You made it harder to stand on the ground!"
"That was the point."
"So I won't stay on it!"
Yin lowered himself.
Amani's eyes widened.
The ground broke beneath him.
He shot into the air once again.
Flame Dragon Art: Rage of the Fire Dragon!
Yin turned his body downward and raised the burning katana.
He fell toward Amani with enough force to split the training field apart.
Amani smirked.
Yin had placed everything into a powerful downward attack.
That also meant his movement had become predictable.
She slid to the right.
Because of the reduced friction, she moved much faster than normal, gliding across the ground just before Yin reached her.
Amani thrust the scythe between his arms and beneath the handle of his katana.
Yin's falling momentum slammed into the wooden shaft.
CRACK!
The scythe snapped in half.
For one instant, Yin believed he had won.
Then he felt the katana leave his hands.
His weakened grip could not resist the sudden impact.
The wooden blade spun through the air.
Yin's eyes widened.
"Oh."
He crashed into the ground.
A cloud of dust and fire erupted around him.
When the smoke cleared, Yin stood in a small crater.
His legs shook violently.
His katana had landed several meters away.
Amani stood outside the crater holding the broken remains of her scythe.
Yin looked at his empty hands.
Then at her.
"I accept defeat."
He fell onto his knees.
His breathing became ragged.
One hand moved to his throat as pain spread through his lungs.
Using the Flame Dragon Arts placed tremendous strain upon his body. He had created the style himself, but his current body still could not handle its full force.
Every breath felt as though he were inhaling hot metal.
Amani dropped the broken scythe and approached him.
Her annoyance disappeared.
She extended one hand.
"Stop using heavy attacks when you cannot maintain your grip."
Yin took her hand.
"I thought it would work."
"You always think it will work."
"It usually does."
"No, it occasionally works. Those are different things."
Amani helped him stand.
Yin coughed.
She placed a hand against his back until his breathing steadied.
"You should know better by now."
"I do."
"Then why did you do it?"
"It looked cool."
Amani closed her eyes.
"That is not a tactical reason."
"It has tactical benefits."
"Name one."
"Intimidation."
"You lost."
"But I looked intimidating before that happened."
Amani tried to remain serious.
A smile escaped anyway.
"You did well."
Yin looked at her.
"The speed of your final attack was incredible," she continued. "You almost reached me before I could respond."
"Almost."
"Yes. Almost."
Yin looked toward the weapon he had dropped.
Despite years of training, his body still had limits.
No matter how hard he worked, magic remained beyond him.
Sometimes it felt as though everyone else was moving forward while he remained trapped in the same place.
Amani noticed his expression.
"You'll become stronger."
Yin did not answer.
She tightened her grip around his hand.
"We'll keep improving together."
Yin looked at her.
Then he smiled.
"Together."
Hours Later
Yin stood near one of the rear entrances of the castle with luggage resting beside him.
The sun had begun sinking toward the horizon.
His body still ached from the spar.
His lungs burned every time he took a deep breath, but he refused to show it.
Lumina City was a considerable distance from the Pendragon Kingdom.
The journey would take them beyond the western region and into territory Yin had only seen in books.
He should have been excited.
Instead, he felt weak.
I trained for years and still lost.
His eyes lowered toward his hands.
How am I supposed to reach the top like this?
Yin had promised himself that the world would remember his name.
He would become a hero.
Not because of his bloodline.
Not because he was Leon and Himeko's son.
He wanted to become someone who started at the bottom and climbed higher than anyone believed possible.
But first, he had to survive school.
Amani walked beside him, carrying her own luggage.
Their footsteps moved almost perfectly in unison.
"Sooo…"
Yin looked toward her.
Amani kept her eyes forward.
"Do you have a goodbye speech prepared for your parents?"
"No."
Amani glanced at him.
"I'm sure Mrs. Pendragon has one prepared for you."
"She probably has several."
"Along with emergency supplies, healing potions, tracking spells, and enough food to feed a small army."
Yin smiled faintly.
"My departure is supposed to be a secret."
Amani stopped walking.
Yin continued for two steps before noticing.
He turned around.
"What?"
"You are secretly leaving the kingdom?"
"Yes."
"You didn't tell your parents?"
"No."
"You're the prince."
"I'm aware."
"Your mother can shake the country by releasing her magic."
"I am also aware."
"And you believe leaving without saying goodbye is a good idea?"
Yin looked away.
"I don't want them to stop me."
Amani studied him carefully.
Yin was trying to sound confident, but his fingers kept shifting around the strap of his luggage.
Leaving was harder for him than he wanted to admit.
The castle was the only home he had ever known.
His parents had protected him from the ancient dragon law.
Durandal had defended him from nobles.
Even the servants who once avoided him had gradually become accustomed to his presence.
But Yin believed he could never grow if he remained beneath his family's protection.
Amani resumed walking.
"They'll understand."
"You think so?"
"No."
Yin looked at her.
"Then why did you say that?"
"It sounded comforting."
"You're terrible at this."
"I usually charge for therapy."
Yin laughed.
Amani noticed that he kept moving his head and shoulders as though struggling to become comfortable.
"Your last technique caused more damage than you're admitting."
"I'm fine."
"You're holding your breath every seven steps."
Yin stopped.
"How did you notice that?"
"I pay attention."
"That's unsettling."
"Do you need painkillers? The road to Rize City is long."
"No."
"Yin."
"It's only a little pain."
He gave her a large smile.
"It'll disappear eventually."
Amani did not believe him.
Yin carried his luggage through the rear gate.
A horse-drawn carriage waited beyond the castle walls. The driver sat near the front with his hat lowered over his eyes.
Yin stopped beside the carriage.
Then he turned toward Amani.
"So…"
Amani raised an eyebrow.
"Are you coming with me or not?"
For the first time that afternoon, Amani hesitated.
She had never spoken to her parents about attending Silverstaff Institute.
She already knew what they would say.
Wait.
Prepare.
Choose the proper moment.
But proper moments had an irritating habit of never arriving.
She looked toward Yin.
Someone had to keep him from challenging every arrogant noble at the academy.
Someone had to stop him from destroying his lungs with unfinished techniques.
Someone had to explain why punching a problem was not always the most reasonable answer.
The decision became obvious.
"Of course I'm coming."
Yin's eyes widened.
Amani crossed her arms.
"Who else is going to stop you from attacking the first snarky royal who insults you?"
"I wasn't going to attack anyone."
Amani stared at him.
"I wasn't going to attack everyone."
"Better."
Pure happiness appeared across Yin's face.
Before Amani could react, he wrapped both arms around her.
"Thank you!"
Amani froze.
Her cross-shaped pupils widened.
Yin released her just as quickly and climbed into the carriage.
He extended one hand toward her.
Amani stared at it while her face slowly became warm.
Ten years had passed since a crying five-year-old boy reached toward her in a library and asked her to become his first friend.
Now he was offering that same hand at the beginning of their journey.
Amani took it.
Yin pulled her into the carriage.
She sat across from him and looked down at her lap.
"You're welcome," she whispered.
Yin leaned toward the window.
"We're ready!"
The coachman nodded.
He snapped the reins, and the horses began moving.
The carriage slowly left the Pendragon capital behind.
Yin watched the towering castle shrink in the distance.
He did not feel happy.
He did not feel sad either.
Something hollow rested inside his chest.
He could not become the heir to the Pendragon Kingdom.
Not yet.
Durandal possessed greater magical talent.
She was more disciplined, more respected, and already viewed as the perfect royal successor.
Yin wanted to prove that he deserved to stand beside her.
Not because he wanted to steal the throne.
He wanted the choice to exist.
I'll prove myself.
His hand tightened against the window frame.
Then nobody will ever call me useless again.
The city disappeared behind them.
Yin closed his eyes.
A Few Minutes Later
When Yin opened his eyes, the carriage was gone.
A red sky stretched above him.
The clouds were red.
The land was red.
Everything smelled of blood.
Yin looked down.
His hands were covered in it.
He stood upon a battlefield filled with bodies.
Humans.
Dragons.
Demons.
Gods.
Creatures he could not recognize.
Some were so enormous that their corpses resembled broken mountains.
Yin covered his mouth.
His stomach twisted.
Where am I?
He stumbled backward and stepped into a pool of blood.
This isn't real.
A violent explosion shook the sky.
Yin looked up.
Several figures battled high above him.
Twelve enormous shadows surrounded a single warrior.
The warrior wore a torn black cloak. Blood covered his face and body, yet a sadistic smile stretched across his lips.
Yin's breath stopped.
The warrior looked like him.
Not exactly.
He appeared older, taller, and far more dangerous.
A strange weapon rested in his hands, unlike any sword Yin had seen before.
The twelve shadows attacked together.
Beams of divine power tore across the sky.
Reality cracked.
Entire sections of space collapsed.
The cloaked warrior was struck again and again, but he refused to fall.
One of the shadows spoke.
Its voice shook the dead world beneath them.
"Give up, Dragon of Judgment."
The warrior wiped blood from his mouth.
"You cannot defeat us."
Another shadow moved closer.
"You have already lost everything."
The warrior's smile disappeared.
His eyes lowered toward the battlefield.
For one moment, unbearable sorrow crossed his face.
Then his fingers tightened around the strange weapon.
"I'm not giving up."
Power erupted from his body.
The blood beneath Yin's feet rose into the air.
The shadows recoiled.
The warrior lifted his head.
"I made a promise that I would come home."
His blood-covered face twisted into a fearless grin.
"And that's exactly what I'm going to do!"
He charged.
The twelve shadows attacked.
Their collision swallowed the sky.
Yin threw his arms over his face as a wave of power rushed toward him.
"WAIT!"
Yin's eyes snapped open.
He shot upright inside the carriage.
His breathing was wild.
Sweat covered his face.
One hand immediately moved toward his chest as though checking whether he had been injured.
The carriage continued moving normally.
The sky outside was blue.
The land was green.
There was no blood.
No corpses.
No twelve shadows.
Amani sat across from him, staring.
"Yin?"
He looked at his hands.
They were clean.
Amani leaned forward.
"What happened?"
Yin tried to answer.
No sound left his mouth.
The face of the cloaked warrior remained inside his mind.
His own face.
Older.
Covered in blood.
Smiling before twelve impossible enemies.
And one title echoed louder than everything else.
Dragon of Judgment.
To Be Continued ➡️